Why Then Do You Look On The Wicked?

Habakkuk lived and ministered in the
southern kingdom of Judah towards the end of its history. His prophecy was
probably written during the early reign of King Jehoiakim, sometime between
609-605 BC, and prior to the Babylonian invasion of the land.

The book may be divided into three
parts. The first is from chapter 1 verses 1-11, where we have Habakkuk’s
first complaint or lament and God’s response to him. Habakkuk lamented to God
about the lawlessness in the land that went unpunished. God responded by saying
that He was raising up the Chaldeans to judge Judah.

This leads to
the second part of the book, from chapter 1 verse 12 to chapter 2 verse 20,
where Habakkuk issues a second complaint to the LORD and the LORD again
responds to him.

Habakkuk’s
second lament was basically about how God could use a more wicked nation to
punish a less wicked one. God responded by saying that the just shall live by
faith and that all the wicked will be punished at the right time.

The third
part of the book is the whole of chapter 3 where Habakkuk, having been humbled
by God, praises Him and confesses his faith and trust in Him.

We have already looked at the first
part of the book, which contains the first round of dialogue between the
prophet and God. In this article, we’ll begin to look at the second part, which
contains the second exchange between the prophet and God.

The land of
Judah was filled with violence and wickedness during this time. The law of God
had been paralyzed and the wicked, who formed the majority in the land, were
seeking to impose their will on the righteous. Life was becoming unbearable for
them.

Habakkuk
complained to the LORD about what was going on and the LORD responded to him.
He did not dispute the analysis of the prophet concerning the moral and
spiritual corruption of the land. He did, however, warn Habakkuk that what He
was about to say would be so stunning and amazing that those who heard it would
find it exceedingly hard to believe.

He then went
on to unveil and identify His instrument of judgment upon Judah, namely, the
Chaldeans or Babylonians, and to describe them in greater detail.

The
Babylonians were bitter, hasty, fearsome, dreaded, proud, autonomous, swift,
agile, hungry, and violent. They despised and mocked their enemies and easily
overcame them. They were essentially their own god. And they were coming.

How would
Habakkuk respond to this revelation from God? This is what we want to consider
now. I’ve divided the text into three parts. First, the prophet describes God
(1:12-13a). Second, the prophet questions God (1:13b-17). And third, the
prophet waits for God’s answer (2:1).

The first
question we need to ask is, what is Habakkuk doing here? Why does he suddenly
bring up and talk about the character and attributes of God? What do the
attributes of God have to do with what God has just said about the Chaldeans
coming to destroy Judah?

Well,
remember that Habakkuk was utterly stunned and amazed and even dumbfounded by
what the LORD had just said He was doing and was going to do. Habakkuk’s head
was, as it were, spinning. He was staggering and about to lose his balance and
fall over. God’s recent revelation was too much for his brain and his senses to
handle at that moment.

Habakkuk
needed to find some stability and some solid foundation to plant his feet upon.
He needed to hang on to something that was fixed and sure and certain in life
in order to keep himself from falling over. And what is more certain and sure
in this universe than the character and the attributes of God?

Here’s a
lesson for us, isn’t it? When we run into difficult and perplexing problems in
life and we are at a loss about what to do or how to handle them, then let us
first lay hold upon what we know for certain. It is only when we are first
anchored on a firm and stable platform that we can move forward to deal with
the difficulties before and around us.

Habakkuk
sought to establish a solid base, even the very character of God, before trying
to understand what God had said He was doing. In other words, He first reminded
himself of who God is before seeking to make a connection between that and what
God was doing.

Now this
basic approach to life’s problems is correct and commendable. We too should
seek to do the same in our own lives.

The problem,
however, with Habakkuk was that he didn’t quite make the connection correctly.
What God had said He was going to do didn’t quite seem to fit with his own
conception and understanding of God. But we will talk more about that later.

Meanwhile,
let’s consider what Habakkuk said about God, and indeed what he said to
God. Remember that this was a dialogue between himself and God.

First, he
spoke to God about His everlasting character. God is eternal. He has no
beginning and no ending. He is not affected by the vicissitudes or changes in
circumstances that take place in time. “Art thou not from everlasting, O LORD
my God…?”

The thought
of God’s eternity or everlasting character gives stability in the midst of all
the seeming chaos around us.

Furthermore,
not only is God eternal in all His attributes, but His plans and decrees and
purposes are likewise eternal. As one writer puts it, “History provided the
framework in which the Sovereign Lord would bring to pass his everlasting
intentions.” God’s plans and intentions do not change with time. Instead, God
executes His decrees in time exactly as He had planned them.

But notice
also how Habakkuk addresses God in verse 12. He is not just the God of all
mankind in general, but He is the LORD or Yahweh, the covenant God of His
people – the One who will always remain faithful to His covenant. And He is my
God, mine Holy One, says the prophet.

It is not
enough to know that God is sovereign and eternal. If we are to derive any
comfort from His attributes, we must know Him as our own personal God and Lord.

Then besides
the attribute of eternity, Habakkuk also appeals to the holiness of God. God is
Habakkuk’s Holy One. The word ‘holy’ means set apart and different. God is not
only set apart from all sin and evil, but He is also set apart from all of
creation. He alone is the infinite, eternal and unchangeable One. He alone is
all-knowing, all-presence, and all-powerful.

Habakkuk goes
on to say in verse 12, “we shall not die.” It is on the basis that the
everlasting and Holy God is our Covenant LORD that we can say with confidence –
we shall not die. We who belong to the seed of the woman will not perish. The
godly line will persist and not be destroyed.

The prophet
then goes on to say in the second part of verse 12, “O LORD, thou hast ordained
them for judgment; and, O mighty God, thou hast established them for
correction.”

Here,
Habakkuk is acknowledging that the LORD, the mighty God has ordained and
established the Babylonians as an instrument of His judgment and correction,
just as He had said in the earlier verses. He is sovereign over all the nations
and thus He is able to do that. So Habakkuk indirectly alludes to two other
attributes of God here, namely, His justice and His sovereignty.

The phrase
translated “O mighty God” is just one word – Rock, which brings us back to the
earlier point I was making, namely, that Habakkuk was seeking stability and
permanence in midst of great uncertainty, and so he appeals to God as His rock.

Finally, in
the first part of verse 13, he says, “Thou art of purer eyes than to
behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity…” Here, the prophet speaks of God’s
attribute of moral purity or His righteousness and His utter hatred of sin.

Now
obviously, Habakkuk is not saying that God closes His eyes to evil and does not
in any way look on iniquity or perverseness. God’s omniscience extends to all
the affairs of creation including evil and iniquity. In fact, God has to look
at evil if He is to be the righteous judge of all men. (See Proverbs 15:3)

Rather, he is
speaking of God’s look of approval and delight and pleasure. God never looks on
evil and iniquity in such a way. He never looks to condone or approve of evil
for evil is the very contradiction of His pure and holy character.

He can only
look upon evil with anger and hatred. And that is why when His only begotten
Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, took upon Himself the sins of all His people in all
ages, God the Father had to turn His face away from Him.

And that
hiding of His countenance or face from His Son on the cross was symbolized by
those three hours of pitch darkness from noon till 3pm.

And so in
this first part of our text, the prophet describes God by talking, either
directly or indirectly, about His eternity, His unchangeability, His
faithfulness to the covenant, His Holiness, His justice, His sovereignty, and
His moral purity.

He is sure that God is all of these things and more. And he is correct.
Habakkuk has good theology. The problem, however, is that he does not fully
appreciate all the implications of these attributes of God, particularly as
they relate to His dealings with the nations..